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TiVo Premiere Elite will bring quad tuners, 2TB storage to retail this year
When TiVo announced its first quad tuner DVR, the Premiere Q, fans were devastated to learn it would only be available via cable operators, and that it featured a smallish 500GB hard drive. Fortunately, the company has rectified both of those issues by announcing the TiVo Premiere Elite, a quad tuner Series 4 DVR with 2TB of storage built that will be available through TiVo.com, Best Buy's Magnolia stores and authorized home theater installers. There's no word yet on price or an exact release date, as all of this is still pending a waiver from the FCC allowing TiVo to sell the box without any OTA or analog cable tuners, making this a digital cable (or Verizon FiOS) only experience. It's also THX Certified and most of the press release is dedicated to focusing on the high end nature of the hardware TiVo is unleashing. Also unmentioned so far is any retail edition of the TiVo Preview multiroom extender box, but we should get some hands-on time with this quad tuner edition very shortly during CEDIA 2011. For now, just check out the press release, included after the break, and for our European readers Engadget Spanish has you covered on the launch of the TiVo Premiere for ONO in Spain. Update: The official TiVo.com/elite page is live, and reveals the price as $499 "with service", $499 additional for a lifetime subscription. [Thanks @PhilipSaad] %Gallery-132837%
Ask Engadget HD: When is it better to let a custom installer do all the work?
As much as we love drilling holes, running cables and troubleshooting issues in search of the perfect home theater, there's a certain point where it makes sense to call in a professional to do the job instead. Today our question comes from Casey, who is trying to figure out where to draw that line: "I finally have the house, the rooms and the resources to get the theater room I've been dreaming about with everything separated in its own closet, HTPC, in-wall speakers, tie-ins to home automation and maybe some multiroom streaming if I get around to it. After over a year of "work" all there is to show for it is some shelving in the closet, HDMI and power cables run to nowhere, my old stereo still in place and the Xbox 360, satellite receiver and Blu-ray player in a heap underneath the TV. My wife would like to have the room back at some point and is suggesting we just call someone and have them set it up since I don't have the time. I'm still not sure it won't cost too much to bring in a pro and let them have all the fun do all the work, plus I want the satisfaction of doing it myself but I'm running out of time. What should I do, and where can I look for a good installer that won't rip me off at $1,000 per cable?" There you have it, obviously Casey has a plan in his head of what he wants, but getting there is tricky. If you've thought about handing the job over to a custom installer let us know in the comments what pushed you to eventually do it, or dig in and get the job done yourself. [Picture above belongs to pchin] Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
VUDU's custom installer network balloons to 1,000
The rumor mill was really churning back in August about VUDU's potential demise, but the company has really been firing on all cylinders ever since. First came the introduction of the Blu-ray-rivaling HDX format, and now comes word that the company has 1,000 custom installers in its ever expanding network of allies. In just seven months of shipping the VUDU XL, over 1,000 professional home installation companies have signed on to distribute the movie set-top-box, though it didn't bother sharing how many units those very vendors had sold. At any rate, it ought to be pretty easy to find someone locally to get one of these in your home, but there's always the DIY option if you're skilled with tools and gifted with time.
FUZE Media Systems software goes OEM
Don't call it a comeback Media Center -- no seriously, don't call it a Media Center, they don't like that, call it "the system that delivers on the promises of Media Center" -- soon you'll be able to get FUZE's media system software via other manufacturers. According to CEPro, they're negotiating with "a number of other companies" to put FUZE software on multimedia devices to work with web based audio control, v2 Media Center Extenders and more. Until now the only way to get the company's software into your house is through a custom installer, and it's not giving up that market, but expect a new, broader opportunity to get FUZE Media Systems once the agreements are done later this year.
"Custom" installs becoming less so
According to research firm Parks Associates, revenues from home theater and distributed audio systems will almost double over the next five years and reach $11-billion. If the current housing slump has you thinking that you'll be in your current abode forever and miss out on your share of that whole-home pie, take heart -- the firm expects to see growth in the retrofit market as well. As wireless networking equipment makes it cheaper and easier to saturate your home with entertainment bits, getting a whole-home system won't require new construction or major renovation. Receivers with multiple zone support are common these days, but EHD readers know that all the necessary pieces for whole-home entertainment (audio and video, please) are showing up in the market; what's really needed is some integration and streamlining. So bring it on, manufacturers; pulling cables through walls is no fun![Image courtesy CEPro]
